Michael Janis

Artist Bio


Born in Chicago, IL
Lives and works in Washington, DC

I first began working with glass in Australia during the 1990's, where my architectural projects received international design awards. I returned to the United States and moved to Washington, DC in 2003, and became part of the Washington Glass School teaching courses in high relief cast glass. I became Co-Director of the Washington Glass School in 2005. I will be teaching cast glass techniques at the Penland School of Craft in 2008, and have recently taught at international glass center: The Glass Furnace in Istanbul, Turkey.

My work is part of the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is also featured in the new international book about the best in glass art and design; 50 Distinguished Contemporary Artists in Glass.

My latest works involve fusing my artwork images together in an uneasy juxtaposition or creating a transparent environments where reflections and shadows remove all boundaries. With a technique called "sgraffito" the delicate nature of glass powder is exploited, and imagery can be changed by the slightest tap.

My goal is to move glass from craft and technique-driven work towards content-driven artwork.